Picking a Proper Place to Party

My artsy, bookworm, tom-boy, princess, diva (I kid you not, she’s all these things!) turns 9 this Spring and for the first time in years has decided she’d like to venture out with friends for her birthday.

Typically, she opts for a smaller at-home party which I’ve always supported whole-heartedly! Mainly because when my three were pre-schoolers and early elementary school age, the birthday party extravaganza seemed endless. We were on a non-stop tour of local gymnastic studios, Chuck E. Cheeses and other indoor playgrounds. But now, a little older and wiser, I know the birthday party parade is about to end.

As they get past the early years of elementary school, it all simmers down. Once they hit double digits they just want a few friends over to hang and the days of balloons, goody bags, streamers and over-sized cakes fade away.

So, feeling a bit melancholy about the whole thing, I decided to encourage her desire to have an out of the house birthday bash this year. I set off to do my research and struggled to make sense of the options for girls. My internet searches revealed a few fun looking destinations, but I knew there must be more out there. So I asked our fans!

And as usual, they came through with lots of great suggestions. And one lucky fan was chosen to win an adorable birthday bracelet from CHARM IT!

Just in case you are in a party planning mode, below is a summary of what our fans told us are their favorite places to party.

Bergen County

Abrakadoodle, Hillsdale

Sweet and Sassy, Ridgewood

Meadowlands Gymnastics Academy, Rutherford

Kids U, Paramus

Camden County

Sahara Sam’s Oasis Indoor & Outdoor Water Park , West Berlin

Essex County

Bella Princess,  Bloomfield!

Passaic County

Her Royal Highness, Pompton Lakes

Ocean County

Girlz Day , Brick, NJ

Middlesex County

Central Jersey Dance and Gymnastics, Middlesex

Morris County

GlowHouse Kids, Butler

Gravity Vault, Chatham

5 Diva Girls, Chester

Color Me Mine, Denville

Candylicious, Randolph

Sun High Orchard, Randolph

Union County

Little Scoops, Cranford

Creative Kids, Garwood

Parti-Licious , Garwood.

Classic Thyme Cooking School , Westfield

Did we miss your favorite spot? Tell us in the comments below!

Want to learn more about CHARM IT! -the original, detachable charm jewelry brand for girls ages 5 – 14? Their amazing selection of charms  are available in every category you can think of, from sports, music, animals and special interests like ballet and gymnastics, to co-branded charms including Hello Kitty and Disney. Here’s just a few of the stores in NJ where you can find CHARM IT!

• Learning Express locations throughout NJ (www.learningexpress.com)
• Sweet & Sassy locations throughout NJ (www.sweetandsassy.com)
• Just Kidding Around, 507 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042
• Toys with Love, 95 West Main Street, Chester NJ 07930
• Sparkhouse Kids, 15 Scotland Road, South Orange, NJ 07079

Find other NJ stores that carry CHARM IT! by using the store locator found on the CHARM IT! Facebook page, and don’t forget to like them while you are there! Or check them out online at www.shopcharm-it.com.